Over the weekend, a video from a Sephora store in Boston went viral on social media platforms, in which a group of teenage girls were seen applying dark shades of makeup for blackface. They were also making animal noises as they walked around in blackface.
Additionally, the footage revealed a staff member calling out an adult, who appears to be the chaperone or the girls' father, for not objecting to the allegedly “incredibly abusive” behavior displayed by the group.
In the wake of the incident, Sephora employees have been praised online, while teens and their companions face severe backlash. In this regard, a Reddit user with the handle MYSTERYTWERKER pointed out that the adult accompanying the girls did nothing to stop their discriminatory actions.
I commented under u/overwhlemledcoffee's post on the r/SephoraWorkers community page on the platform.
The Internet slams Sephora customers for doing blackface
The video was recorded from the Sephora store inside Boston's Prudential Center and originally posted on TikTok by @temijoraa. According to Binn News, the TikToker revealed how she and her teammates arrived at the store before dinner and witnessed the incident that left them “really disgusted and upset.”
She added how a group of young white girls walked in with an adult, and began wearing dark shades of makeup, engaging in blackface, walking around the store, laughing, and making monkey noises.
The 28-second clip, which gained great popularity online, revealed a woman dressed in a black Sephora uniform who protested against the girls and criticized the adult woman accompanying them.
Previously identified as an employee, she was later identified as a vendor for the brand through the Instagram handle @kiarajanaemusic, which X user @LilyShefani recognized under @RyanShead's post.
According to the witness, the escort kicked the seller out and walked away, also demanding that he delete the video because it was taken without “consent.”
Since the footage appeared online, it has left netizens disgusted and angry, with many demanding to know the identities of the minors and their companions. Others urged the company to ban them for life from all of its stores due to their blatant racism. Here's a glimpse into the collective outrage at X.
Social media users also called for the promotion of the saleswoman who raised her voice. Below are some comments in this regard.
Parent company Devries Global has issued an official statement for Atlanta Black Star. Here's how to read:
“Sephora's top priority is creating a welcoming, inclusive shopping experience for everyone. We are extremely disappointed in the behavior of these shoppers at our Prudential Center location and, consequently, they have been asked to leave our facility.”
The company also stated that it does not condone such behavior under any circumstances.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. According to the Atlanta Black Star, a Sephora employee in Tennessee last month told Fox News that tweens and teens often visit stores ignoring workers, wasting samples, and harassing parents to buy them makeup.
21-year-old Sequoia Cothran also claimed she regularly experiences “mean girl behavior from a 10-year-old girl” and wished age restrictions for entering the building were enforced by the company. Similar reports have also surfaced from employees at Ulta.
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